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WORK TRAVEL SURVEY METHODS AND FINDINGS (1977)

BART, the 71-mile Bay Area Rapid Transit System, serving San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, and their suburbs, is the first regional-scale rapid transit system to open in the United States in over 50 years. This report is one of a series assessing the impacts of BART on transportation and travel in the Bay Area. It describes the methods and results of a survey of 8,400 persons employed in the areas most accessible by BART. The sample represents 506,000 daily work trips to the survey area. A novel sampling design was used in which self-completion questionnaires were distributed to workers at their workplaces. Detailed information was obtained on the travel mode choices available to workers, the characteristics of their journey-to-work alternatives, and the reasons for their mode choices. BART's share of journey-to-work trips into the survey area from residences in the primary BART service areas is 18%; bus, 16%; and automobile, 66%. The BART share varies greatly for specific origin-to-destination corridors and trip lengths; BART's highest share is for long-distance commute trips to downtown areas. Of all trips from residences in the primary service area, respondents considered 40% to be possible by BART; BART presently carries about 40% of these possible trips, which suggests a high potential for increased patronage. Typically, relative travel times and reliability of service are among the most important determinants of travelers' mode choices.

Supplemental Notes:

Prepared by Peat, Marwick, Mitchell and Co., San Francisco, CA. Report on BART Impact Program, Public Policy Project. Sponsored in part by Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC. Color illustrations reproduced in black and white.